A. Title: Preys of War:  The Liberian Conflict and Child Soldiers 

B. Purpose of the Program: This educational program is for young people and aims to achieve the following:

1. To provide a first hand Liberian account of the recent conflict in Liberia and the consequences for Liberia and the African continent
2. To educate young Americans about the civil war in Liberia.
3. To move young people from awareness to action to help support some of those affected by this conflict and its related atrocities.
4. To inspire young Americans who learn of the close relationship between America and Liberia.
5. To educate young African Americans, in particular, of a land African Americans often call their “Mother Land”.

C. When Offered: September 2006 - June 2007

D. Length of Program: 60 minutes (general program – a customized series can be developed as needed)

E. To What Audience? Grades 10-12

F. Cost for Presentation: $150

G. Background Resources: Map of Africa showing Liberia, map of Liberia showing her neighbors and other boundaries, pictures related to presentation including the Liberian flag and a focused reading on the conflict.

H. Background of Presenter: Dr. Carlon was born and partially raised in the chiefdom town of Bendaja or BehBenda (a town founded by and named after his great grandfather, Benda, a famous blacksmith of the Porkpaa Chiefdom).

Dr. S. Jabaru Carlon, is a 1963 graduate of the University of Liberia, where he obtained a B.S degree. in Elementary Education and the University of Wisconsin both at Milwaukee and Madison, the latter of which conferred upon him the Ph. D. degree in Higher Educational Administration in 1973. He had earlier in 1966 obtained the MS degree in Curriculum & Instruction from UW-Milwaukee. Dr. Carlon is also a product of what was one of the most prestigious high schools in his native Liberia, the

Episcopal High School in Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County, from whence he graduated with honors.

Dr. Carlon gave more than ten years of instructional service in elementary and high schools in Liberia and abroad. Recently, Dr. Carlon offered some four years of teaching to the School District of Philadelphia, serving as a per diem/visiting teacher. He is a researcher and prolific writer on education and society.

I. Description of the Program – A Synopsis: Liberia, like the rest of Africa, has suffered decades of internal conflict and war of genocide, from which she has experienced population shifts and depletion through massacres and mass fleeing within the country, as well as outside as refugees. From a personal, documented perspective, Dr. Carlon will provide a 20-minute presentation on the conflict and its aftermath and will then accept questions from students to go deeper into the issues.

The issues will center on the recent civil war and its related consequences on the Liberian people and the African continent, especially its children. A brief history of the struggle will introduce the conflict and its after effects. Concentrated time will cover the civil war involving the Charles Taylor insurgency and the introduction of child soldiers into the conflict. The consequences of all of this will be addressed and time will be allowed to discuss what needs to be done to help reverse the effects of the conflict.